DePaul vs St. John's

St. John’s, coming off last season’s Big East title run and opening league play at 6–3, is in a different weight class than DePaul, having beaten the Blue Demons seven straight times by blowout margins and carrying a multi-year unbeaten streak at Carnesecca into this one. Even with backcourt depth thinned by season-ending injuries to freshmen reserves like Casper Pohto and Imran Suljanovic, Rick Pitino can still lean on a loaded core of Bryce Hopkins, Zuby Ejiofor, and Ian Jackson, while DePaul counters with CJ Gunn, Layden Blocker, and NJ Benson but brings an 8–3 record built on one of the softest non-conference schedules in the country and no recent success in this matchup. With KenPom and the market both effectively pricing this as a 90%+ win probability for the Red Storm in a game that has no direct postseason tiebreak stakes yet, St. John’s moneyline is extremely likely to cash but offers almost no monetary upside at -10000, so I grade a St. John’s ML play at C+ for combining near-certainty with poor value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:43am

DePaul’s offense, powered by Gunn, Blocker, and Benson, has been solid but not explosive at roughly 79 points per game against a very soft schedule, while its defense has quietly held opponents under 70, and now it faces a St. John’s group scoring close to 89 a night but showing real defensive improvement in recent wins over Ole Miss and Iona. With the Red Storm’s rotation a bit shorter on the perimeter due to injuries, plus conference play typically tightening pace and shot selection—especially in a game where St. John’s is such a heavy favorite and doesn’t need style points this early in the year—the path to the total clearing 152.5 comfortably likely requires DePaul to score well above its norm against its toughest opponent to date. Historical blowouts in this series and the Red Storm’s home dominance at Carnesecca do raise the risk of an extended garbage-time track meet, but the combination of a more disciplined St. John’s defense, DePaul’s moderate tempo when stepping up in class, and the lack of late-season seeding urgency leans me to Under 152.5 at -110, which I grade a B- for offering a reasonable edge with some volatility if St. John’s shooting catches fire. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:43am

CJ Gunn and DePaul backers are getting a massive cushion at +19.5, and while the Blue Demons have dropped seven straight to St. John’s by big margins, this version is 8–3 with a steadier three-man core in Gunn, Blocker, and Benson plus added size from Khaman Maker and Fabián Flores that should help them compete on the glass more than in past meetings. St. John’s still owns the clear talent and coaching edge and remains unbeaten at Carnesecca over the last few seasons, but depth hits from injuries to bench pieces like Casper Pohto, combined with potential look-ahead risk to a marquee Kentucky matchup and the natural intensity of a conference opener, make it less certain the Red Storm will sustain max pressure for 40 minutes. Given DePaul’s improved defensive metrics, St. John’s tendency to call off the dogs late in comfortable wins, and the fact that neither team is yet in a must-make-a-statement phase of its postseason résumé, I like DePaul +19.5 at -110 and grade the spread play a B, expecting a St. John’s win that lands more in the mid-teens than the high-20s. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:43am